No abstract

Drinking alcoholic beverages is one of the oldest socially acceptable forms of behavior which can lead to the development of alcohol addiction. Long-term alcohol drinking has, together with numerous psychological and somatic complications, harmful consequences for the oral health. Patients suffering from alcoholism generally have poorer oral hygiene, dental care, periodontal status, fewer teeth, more carious lesions, gingival diseases, inter-dental papillae bleeding and deep gingival pockets associated with bone loss, as well as higher rate of oropharyngeal cancer. The changes in the oral microbiome affect the immune system, metabolism of carcinogens and digestion, which also leads to the development of local oral diseases as well as systemic gastrointestinal and cardiovascular illnesses. Harmful impact of alcohol on oral health can be direct, caused by local toxic effects of alcohol and as a consequence of systemic diseases associated with alcohol drinking, causing changes in the entire oral mucosa. Poor dietary habits additionally contribute to a poorer dental status while frequent simultaneous usage of tobacco products additionally increases the risk of developing periodontitis, tooth loss and oral carcinoma. Excessive alcohol drinking can seriously affect the oral cavity where, despite easy access via clinical examination, we still lack clinical data and a clear mechanism of development of the described changes.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Vitamin D is involved in brain development and functioning, as well as in regulation of neurotrophic factors. Changes in the expression of those factors are possibly responsible for morphologic abnormalities and symptoms in patients suffering from schizophrenia. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> The main goal of this research was to investigate the interrelationship between vitamin D, nerve growth factors (NGF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF], and neuregulin-1 [NRG1]), and schizophrenia symptom domains. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This research included 97 inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Blood samples were taken in order to analyze concentrations of vitamin D, BDNF, NRG1, and NGF growth factors. The obtained results were used in a multiple regression analysis. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The vitamin D concentration positively affected the concentration of NRG1 (<i>F</i> = 8.583, <i>p</i> = 0.005) but not the concentration of other investigated growth factors (BDNF and NGF). The clinical characteristics and symptom domains of schizophrenia seemed to be unaffected by the concentrations of vitamin D, BDNF, and NGF, while the NRG1 concentration significantly affected positive symptom domains of schizophrenia (<i>F</i> = 4.927, <i>p</i> = 0.030). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The vitamin D concentration positively affected NRG1 levels but not schizophrenia symptomatology as measured by PANSS. The as­sociation between the two could be intermediated via NRG1.

-Zoophilia is a disorder of sexual preference that is characterised by sexual fantasies or behaviours that include animals. Zoophilia is more common in comorbidity with other paraphilias. When reviewing scholarly publications, a small number of articles has been found that connect zoophilia, and other psychiatric disorders, and they are shown here. Out of the seventeen known to us isolated cases of patients with zoophilia in comorbity with other psychiatric disorders, nine are noted with zoophilia and psychosis. Precisely in those patients, and also in the case of our patient that we described here, we can speak of zoophilic behaviour as one of the signs of psychosis, although keeping in mind the small sample and the unreliability of data, it is hard to state that zoophilia is an early, or any other sign of psychosis. Considering that in our case zoophilia presented as an early sign of the psychotic process, it is for us to conclude how during noticing of such sexually deviant behaviour it is important to pay attention to all the other psychopathology as to get an insight into the possible start or exacerbation of the psychotic process in order for the treatment to be more directional.

The contemporary concept of treating schizophrenia tends to achieve functional remission, reducing the number and length of hospitalizations and improving the quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to identify and compare the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with schizophrenia treated stationary and those treated at Day Hospital. This study, with the four month time interval, randomly included 60 participants with schizophrenia aged 18 to 55, who were divided into two groups. First group of 30 participants was treated only stationary, and the other 30 participants were treated only at Day Hospital. Each participant completed a sociodemographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire which was created for the purpose of this research. The results showed that participants treated at Day Hospital are younger, have a higher education level, and are more capable of working and functioning adequately. They are also more likely to receive psychiatric treatment from the early stages of their illness. Furthermore, participants treated in the Day Hospital setting have been less frequently hospitalized due to their illness (fewer acute episodes) than inpatients, which was statistically significant (t = 3,763; p = 0,001), as a consequence of which they have a longer remission periods. This could contribute to better personal and social functioning, as well as to a better management of daily life, and thus implies a higher level of life quality compared to the inpatients.